The Vampire’s Priceless Treasure
Page 25
Greyson smiled. “Very wise. Now what do you say we get out of Elenora’s house and go do something as a couple for the very first time?”
“I’m in. And as a matter of fact, there’s one errand I need to run.”
“What’s that?”
She pointed toward the door. “You’ll see.”
Kora was giddy with life. Her cup had been filled and was now overflowing, and she wanted to share her good fortune with another deserving creature.
She also kind of wanted to see how Greyson would handle such a thing as finding Waffles a brother. Or sister.
It took only a phone call to have someone meet them at the Nocturne Falls feline rescue and open the facility so they could see the cats up for adoption.
Greyson drove, too, which surprised her because she hadn’t been sure he’d want an animal in his Camaro. It was his pride and joy, after all, but then again, maybe it didn’t matter as much to him as she’d imagined.
He parked and turned the car off. “This is a test, isn’t it?”
“Sort of.” She winked at him. “I’m sure you’ll pass.”
“I’m not.”
“You’re not? Why?”
He shrugged. “I’ve never had a pet. How do I know how to pick one out? Or what kind of buddy Waffles will get along with?”
“Well, nobody really knows that until we introduce them. But Waffles is pretty chill. I think he’d welcome just about anyone.”
“Okay. But don’t let me screw up. If I’m choosing wrong, say so.”
She put a hand on his leg. “Trust your heart. You can’t go wrong that way.”
“True,” he said. “That’s how I ended up with you.”
Laughing, they headed in.
The man who’d opened the rescue, Brent Tillis, greeted them with a smile. He was a secondary wizard and worked as a vet tech at Waffles’s animal hospital. “Hi, Kora.”
“Hi, Brent. This is my boyfriend, Greyson.” The word boyfriend was going to make her grin like a fool for a long time coming.
Brent stuck his hand out. “Nice to meet you, man. Welcome to the rescue.”
Greyson shook his hand. “Thanks for opening up on such short notice.”
“So an animal can get a home? Anytime. Come on back.” He led them to the cat rooms. “We don’t have that many cats here right now. The citizens are pretty good about keeping us empty, but please take a look and see if anyone catches your interest.”
“Thanks,” Kora said.
“Sure thing. I’ll be up front when you’re ready.”
He left them, and Greyson hooked his thumb toward the right. “How about I take this room, and you take the other one?”
“Sounds good. See you in a few minutes, then.” If Greyson wanted to give it a shot on his own, she was fine with that. She got the sense he was nervous about this. Like, really nervous, which surprised her. He was such a cool cat.
No pun intended.
She went into the room, careful not to let any of the cats out, but Brent had been right. There weren’t many, which was great. The three in there were all sleeping and didn’t seem especially interested in doing much else.
Considering it was closing in on eleven p.m., she’d expected to see more activity from such a nocturnal group.
She stood in the middle of the room and put her hands on her hips. “You guys might not be active enough for Waffles. He needs a playmate, not a nap buddy.”
The door opened behind her.
She turned to see Greyson slipping in.
He was holding a skinny white and orange tabby with one eye. “I probably did this too fast, but I don’t care what you say, I’m not leaving this cat here.”
“Whoa, hang on, I’m not going to say no. What’s his deal?”
“Her. I think. I don’t know for sure, but she’s giving me a female vibe. But look at her.” The little cat was pressing herself into Greyson’s chest and purring up a storm like her ship had come in. “She’s only got one eye. People are going to pass her over because of that. And she’s too skinny. She needs someone to love her and feed her and get her healthy.”
Kora’s heart nearly burst. “I agree to all of that. She’s a sweet little thing, isn’t she?”
“She is. Very sweet. Came right over to me and curled up in my arms. Not afraid at all.” Kora’s approval seemed to placate Greyson, and his tone became less frantic. “And then there’s her name.”
“Oh?”
“It’s on her collar.”
Kora gave the little cat a scratch under the chin, then lifted the name tag to read for herself. She snorted. “Chicken?”
“I’m sure Brent could tell us the story behind it, but how can you pass up a cat named Chicken when your other cat is named Waffles?”
“Chicken and Waffles.”
Greyson looked at Chicken, who had started to make biscuits on his arm, then at Kora. “Pretty great, don’t you think?”
She nodded. “About as great as Greyson and Kora.”
He smiled. “I couldn’t agree more.”
She kissed him, then gave Chicken a little pat on the head. “Let’s take the new baby home to meet her big brother.”
“Yeah, let’s. I can’t wait for them to meet.” Greyson started for the door, then stopped. “Thanks.”
“For what?”
“For this.” He shook his head. “I’ve never had a pet. I didn’t even know I wanted one, but I’ve never wanted to save an animal more than I want to save this cat right now.”
“I love you, Greyson. So much it hurts.”
“I love you, too.” He snuggled Chicken a little closer. “Just tell me one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Are we going to be that crazy couple with sixteen cats?”
Her brows went up. “This is just two cats.”
His gaze went past her in the direction of the other cat room. “I know, but there was another cat in there I thought might be a contender…”
She put her hand on his back and gave him a little nudge toward the door. “Let’s see how Waffles and Chicken get on first.”
He kissed her cheek. “Okay, but I’m holding you to that.”
She shook her head. “Greyson Garrett, crazy cat guy. Who knew?”
“Not me.” He opened the door and went toward the front. “Is it weird?”
She was nearly overcome by the bliss of the moment. By the amazing heart of this man in front of her who was single-handedly making her dreams come true. “No. It’s perfect. Just like you.”
His eyes glowed with love. “Just like us.”
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About the Author
USA Today Best Selling author Kristen Painter is a little obsessed with cats, books, chocolate, and shoes. It’s a healthy mix. She loves to entertain her readers with interesting twists and unforgettable characters. She currently writes the best-selling paranormal romance series, Nocturne Falls, and the cozy mystery spin off series, Jayne Frost. The former college English teacher can often be found all over social media where she loves to interact with readers.
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Other Books by Kristen Painter
PARANORMAL ROMANCE:
Nocturne Falls series:
The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride
The Werewolf Meets His Match
The Gargoyle Gets His Girl
The Professor Woos the Witch
The Witch’s Halloween Hero – short story
The Werewolf’s Christmas Wish – short story
The Vampire’s Fake Fiancée
The Vampire’s Valentine Surprise – short story
The Shifter Romances
the Writer
The Vampire’s True Love Trials – short story
The Dragon Finds Forever
The Vampire’s Accidental Wife
The Reaper Rescues the Genie
The Detective Wins the Witch
The Vampire’s Priceless Treasure
Can’t get enough Nocturne Falls?
Try the Nocturne Falls Universe books.
(http://kristenpainter.com/nocturne-falls-universe/)
New stories, new authors, same Nocturne Falls world!
Shadowvale series:
The Trouble with Witches
The Vampire’s Cursed Kiss
The Forgettable Miss French
Sin City Collectors series:
Queen of Hearts
Dead Man’s Hand
Double or Nothing
Box set
Standalone Paranormal Romance:
Dark Kiss of the Reaper
Heart of Fire
Recipe for Magic
Miss Bramble and the Leviathan
COZY PARANORMAL MYSTERY:
Jayne Frost series
Miss Frost Solves a Cold Case – A Nocturne Falls Mystery
Miss Frost Ices the Imp – A Nocturne Falls Mystery
Miss Frost Saves the Sandman – A Nocturne Falls Mystery
Miss Frost Cracks a Caper – A Nocturne Falls Mystery
When Birdie Babysat Spider – A Jayne Frost short
Miss Frost Braves the Blizzard – A Nocturne Falls Mystery
Miss Frost Chills the Cheater – A Nocturne Falls Mystery
Happily Everlasting series:
Witchful Thinking
URBAN FANTASY:
The House of Comarré series:
Forbidden Blood
Blood Rights
Flesh and Blood
Bad Blood
Out for Blood
Last Blood
The Crescent City series:
House of the Rising Sun
City of Eternal Night
Garden of Dreams and Desires
Nothing is completed without an amazing team.
Many thanks to:
Design & derivative cover art: Janet Holmes using images under license from Shutterstock.com
Interior formatting: Author E.M.S
Editor: Joyce Lamb
Copyedits/proofs: Marlene Engel/Lisa Bateman